The Story of Tom Bombadil
by Casey Toh
Summary: The title is self-explanatory. :) Status: Chapter 2 up.
1. One: The Making of the World

Disclaimer: Tom Bombadil, Goldberry and all related characters belong to JRR Tolkien. No intentional copyright infringement is intended through their use.

A/N: I wrote this when I was half asleep, so I don't quite know what I'm writing about. My apologies for this short chapter as well, since my brain doesn't work well with me if I write long ones. Any ideas or suggestions, please do tell me. Please R/R.

The Story of Tom Bombadil 

One: The Making of The World

   "Fair lady!" said Frodo again after a while. "Tell me, if my asking does not seem foolish, who is Tom Bombadil?"

_   "He is," said Goldberry, staying her swift movements and smiling._

_   Frodo looked at her questioningly. "He is, as you have seen him," she said in answer to his look. "He is the Master of wood, water and hill."_

_   "Then all this strange land belongs to him?"_

_   "No indeed!" she answered, and her smile faded. "That would indeed be a burden," she added in a low voice, as if to herself. "The trees and the grasses and all things growing or living in the land belong to each of themselves. Tom Bombadil is the Master. No one has ever caught old Tom walking in the forest, wading in the water, leaping on the hill-tops under light and shadow. He has no fear. Tom Bombadil is Master." _–Frodo and Goldberry; In the House of Tom Bombadil; Fellowship of the Ring

**

   _"Could we not still send messages to him and obtain his help?" asked Erestor. "It seems that he has a power even over the Ring."_

_   "No, I should not put it so," said Gandalf. "Say rather that the Ring has no power over him. He is his own master. But he cannot alter the Ring itself, nor break its power over others. And now he is withdrawn into a little land, within bounds that he has set, though none can see them, waiting perhaps for a change of days, and he will not step beyond them." _–Erestor and Gandalf; The Council of Elrond; Fellowship of the Ring

   Ere there was aught else, there had been the One. Ilúvatar he was named, and from his thoughts came the very first of his offspring, and they were named the Ainur, and they sang before him, and he was glad.

   From the Songs of the Ainur, Ilúvatar created Eä, The World that Is, and contained their Songs within Eä, and that was named Arda, the Earth, and the Confines of the World.

   Even ere the World was formed, Melkor the Ainur had fostered dark thoughts, and in his themes, contested against Ilúvatar. Some of the Ainur were dismayed, but others began to attune their Music to Melkor's.

   And Ilúvatar drowned Melkor's Music, and the Ainur from then bore anger and hatred ever against Ilúvatar, though he was forgiven, and when the other Ainur proposed to descend into Arda, Melkor followed as well.

***

   The Maiar were lesser beings, helpers of the Ainur who were called the Valar, and they were many more than the Valar, who were only fourteen. 

   And all the Valar began their work of shaping Arda according to their own skills and the vision Ilúvatar had them in the Void, and many Maiar went with them.

   Melkor, however, descended at the northernmost part of the world and abode there; other lesser spirits followed him, those whom he had corrupted into his service, and of the would mar the works of the Valar, for being gifted with a little of all what the others had, his deeds were grievous indeed.

   The Maiar were most under the command of the Valar, and dwelt where their lords dwelt, yet, there were some others who had their own thoughts, and dwell in the middle-earth when others of their rank had withdrawn to Valinor, and of these few were Melian and _Nibecandir_ _(1)_, but of this tale, Melian comes little into.

***

   When the Powers descended into Arda, they came in two forces: that of the Valar and those of Morgoth. But there was one whom descended alone, into the center of the middle lands, where no Vala or Maia had yet come.

   The Valar shaped Arda according to their visions, and on a grand scale, the shaping was thorough and beautiful. Yet, Morgoth also created according to his visions, and he formed deserts, and marshes, and wastelands.

   The Powers wearied of correcting his foul deed of marring their works, and withdrew to the West, fortifying it. Yet, their powers reached far, and crossed even to the East, and Morgoth's might from the North to the South.

   And where the two Powers crossed, the land was neither filled nor empty, for the soil there held plants, but those were few and far between, and streams flowed not on the surface but under, hidden from eyes.

   It was there that Nibecandir came in his wanderings, and found that the land there was yet unshaped.

   With delight, he spread his _feä_ (2) over that land in exploration, for he was yet unclad in _hroä_ (3) as the other Powers had done, whether in forms fair and beautiful or in shapes dark and hideous.

   His being explored the deepest of the soil and he found water there, which he called forth onto the surface by his will, and he joined the streams, which became a river, and there it flowed, and its water sprang from the ground and ended in it, but the part in-between ran clear on the soil.

   The few plants there were he infused a part of his feä in them as well, and sang to them Songs of Growth, so that they multiplied and filled the land, drawing water from the river above and under, and many became trees; others bore flowers and fruits.

   And he took the soil and pressed his will upon them, so that they built up and became rocks, in the thought that he could rest if he ever took a form of his liking.

   Small birds and beasts he formed as well, and they lived amongst the trees and rocks, and they knew him and befriended him.

   And those alone were his companions in the first days of the Making.

(1) Nibecandir—a name I formed for Tom Bombadil using Sindarin (at least I hope so), using _niben_ for small and _candir_ for shaper. Aid was given by Gildor Inglorion of Elfling.

(2) Feä—the spirit

(3) Hroä—literally meaning the body; confine of a Feä


	2. Two: The Days of the Two Trees

A/N: Okay, I still don't know what I'm writing about, so, please forgive me. And I know that the language of the Valar was deemed too hard for any not of their ranks to learn and speak, but I tweaked that a little. 

The Story of Tom Bombadil 

Two: The Days of the Two Trees

   In Valinor, the Vala Yavanna called forth two trees from the soil, and those were named Telperion and Laurelin, and they waned and waxed every seven hours in alternation, so that as one came into bloom, the other rested.

   The light of Telperion was silver and that of Laurelin was gold. Each tree started to wax an hour ere the other waned, so that twice everyday, there was a mingling of the two great lights, and Valinor and the world was bathed in the soft glow of neither silver nor gold.

***

   In those days, light from Valinor still shone on Middle earth, and the long distance did not dim the lights, and Morgoth from his abode saw the lights and wondered at the work of the Vala briefly, ere he returned to his foul works in the dark.

   Nibecandir, who abode in the central lands, sensed that the light were works of the High Powers, and as all things did, his feä was filled and strengthened in the lights, though he now drew more from Arda's soil—the parts of his feä he had placed in the land were still bound to him.

   He grew more trees from the soil, and animals from other places passed through and sometimes remained there, for Nibecandir befriended them; there was nothing to protect them from in those days; not yet.

***

   Many years passed as counted by the waxing and waning of the Two Trees, and there was peace in Middle Earth for a time—the Valar beautified Valinor, and Morgoth took to his works in the deep places.

   Nibecandir roamed the lands, and left to their own devices his land, for they knew how to survive on their own, and he needed to worry not.

   His feä sometimes flew quickly over the lands, and tarried in others, for he had no constraints and answered not to anyone. Varda's stars he saw, and the waste of Morgoth's works, but did not take to either of them.

   He saw plants beneath the soil, and beasts few and far, and longed to infuse his feä in them to hasten their growth, but he was weary, for he had done much in the central land, and he passed by those with lament.

   Oft, he would hear the thundering hooves of Oromë's hunts in Middle Earth, and would steer away from them, but that was not hard, for Oromë turned not to the north, and rode mostly to the east.

   Long years passed and in his wanderings, Nibecandir came upon beasts he had not yet seen: they walked on two legs, and spoke words to one another, and their hair were long and rich, and their naked bodies fair.

   And Nibecandir realized that these were the Firstborn, the Elder of Ilúvatar's Children to come into the world.

   The Firstborn were aware of his feä about them, and many cried out in fear, but Nibecandir, being enamored of their beauty, then took a bodily form such as theirs, and they wondered at him and spoke warily to him.

   He marveled to hear that they spoke the tongue of the Powers, for that speech was formed by the Powers ere they had descended into Arda, and the Firstborn spoke with him and lost their fear. He learnt that the Vala Oromë had found and beheld them by the Waters of Cuivienen, and was of the mind to take them to Valinor and live in the light of Laurelin and Telperion, and away from the evils of Morgoth.

   Yet, not all were willing to forsake Middle earth for a land and bliss yet unseen, and Oromë had chosen from them a few who were willing and brought them to Valinor as ambassadors, after which they would return and speak of all the wonders they had beheld. But Oromë bade the rest not to tarry, but to travel westward at their pace.

   Nibecandir heeded not the words of the Firstborn when they named Morgoth evil, for he had not seen Morgoth work his evils, nor the Valar work the fair lands, and was loathe to meddle in affairs not of his own.

   He had love for the Firstborn, however, and taught them how to hunt and gather plants to weave clothes to hide their nakedness, for if other beasts should walk in fur or feather, should not Ilúvatar's Children be clothed as well?

   But he departed from them ere Oromë returned, and the Vala wondered to see the Firstborn clothed, but they would speak naught of it, for they had given oath that Nibecandir should not be known to the Valar. 

   And the lone Maia wandered the lands still, but now clad in hroä, and he went rarely about in feä then onwards.


End file.
